New Beginnings
by Skate-815
Summary: Doyle's sitting alone on new years eve when he gets a call from cordy asking him to keep her company. Set between the bachelor party and i will remember you. Coyle pairing. now complete!
1. Alone

New Beginnings

Chapter 1: Alone

A/N I know that Doyle died slightly after Thanksgiving in ATS but for my story to work, I'm going to pretend he got to spend New Year with the rest of Angel Investigations too, so instead of Angel going to stalk/ look out for Buffy at Thanksgiving, he did so over Christmas.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Doyle, Cordelia, Angel and everyone else in my story belong to Joss Whedon

Doyle sat alone in his empty apartment drinking warm beer (his fridge had broken the week before) and stared at a Christmas film on TV he'd seen a million and one times and still couldn't recall the name of. He was lonely and he missed Angel and Cordelia. He'd been pleased when Angel road off into the sunset to save his girl and gave him and Cordy time off until he returned, but now he missed Angel Investigations. He wished he was at work, getting ready to fight whatever danger they were facing next. And most of all, he missed Cordelia. Since Angel Investigations had been formed, Doyle had had the excuse to see Cordy nearly everyday, but now they weren't at work, he hadn't seen her since Angel disappeared, which was nearly a week ago. He was used to being lonely. Being an outcast would do that to you, but now he had friends. For the first time since he discovered his demon side, he had real friends.

He wondered what his friends were up to. He was sure Angel was still in Sunnydale, he would have dropped in to say hi on Christmas day if he had returned on time, but six days later, there was still no sign of him. He must still be pining over the Slayer. Cordelia was probably there too, spending the holiday season with her family, though she hadn't actually told him her plans. So that just left him to defend Los Angeles alone if he got one of his mind splitting visions. He gazed longingly at the phone, willing it to ring. Willing Angel to call and end his seemingly endless boredom. But it stayed silent. Just as it had all the other days he'd wordlessly begged it to ring. He sighed and flicked channels. There was nothing lonelier than spending Christmas by yourself. He glanced at two packages in the corner. He'd saved up to buy his only two friends in the world Christmas presents, and they hadn't come around to get them yet. He knew he's give Angel his whenever he decided to come back from Sunnydale, but he didn't think he'd have the courage to give Cordelia her present. He'd bought Angel a sword. He'd originally planned to go for something a bit less work related, but decided in the end that this would probably be what Angel would appreciate the most. As for Cordelia, he'd bought her a beautiful necklace. The best he could afford, although he knew that she was probably used to a hundred times better from her rich parents.

Suddenly the phone rang, jerking Doyle out of his stupor. He grabbed the phone and said

"Hello?"

"Hey Doyle, it's Cordelia"

"Hey Cordy" he said surprised. He didn't think she would be bothered ringing him "What's up?"

"Have you got any plans for tonight? Because there's this party going on in my building to bring in the New Year. It's really supposed to be for actors and actresses only, but if you want to come, I'm sure they'd let you in..."

"Yeah I'll come!" he said a bit too enthusiastically. He couldn't believe that he was going to get to spend New Year's Eve with Cordelia. Maybe he'd even get to kiss her to bring in the New Year.

"Good, I'll come pick you up around seven" she told him "Oh and Doyle, don't dress like a pimp as usual!"


	2. getting ready

Chapter 2 Getting Ready

With that she hung up, and Doyle stared at the phone in disbelief. He hadn't expected that to happen, though he was glad she'd called. Now he really didn't want to be contacted by Angel. If Angel came to see him, that would almost certainly mean that one of two things. Number one, there was a case, and that would mean canceling the New Years celebrations with Cordy to go and fight some dangerous monster. Or two, which could be even worse in his opinion, he had only just got back and Cordy would invite him along with them to the party, making the party seem less like a date than ever.

He stood up and looked in the mirror, running a hand through his hair. Cordelia had told him to avoid dressing like he usually did, but he didn't know what he could wear. He stared at himself, realising how different he probably was to the usual sort that Cordelia dated. Angel had mentioned a boy she'd dated back in Sunnydale. His name was Alexander or something. Appearantly she'd been in love with him and he'd cheated on her with one of his friends. Doyle hated him already. He couldn't imagine anyone _daring_ to cheat on Cordy, or wanting to for the matter. He stared at the mirror harder this time, wondering what he could do to even make Cordy consider going out with him. _I could open doors for her_ he thought_ and make sure no-one else makes a move on her_. He jumped as there was a knock on the door

"Doyle?" he heard Angel call "You in?"

"Damn" Doyle muttered softly, wondering if he should pretend to be out, or let him in.

**A/N **I know its short but please, please review! lol


	3. Angel

**New Beginnings Chapter 3**

He didn't reply

"I know you're in there Doyle" Angel shouted, "I can see your lights on" Doyle quickly reached up and flicked his lights off, and then realising his stupidity, flicked them back on again.

"Ok, now I definitely know you're there" Angel shouted again "You going to let me in or not?" Doyle sighed and opened the door.

"Come in" he muttered, sitting down on his sofa

"So what was that about?" Angel asked, sitting beside him

"What was what about?" Doyle said, distracted

"Pretending to not be home"

"Oh that…" Doyle forced a laugh "I just didn't want to have a new case today, that's all"

"Why? You got anything special planned?"

"Angel" Doyle sighed "Do we have a case?"

"Well yeah, but Cordy and I can manage by ourselves if you have to be somewhere."

"No!" Doyle said quickly "I don't have anywhere to be. What's the case?"

"There's a demon hiding out in the sewers beneath the abandoned library" Angel explained, "It's been targeting children for its rituals. I'm going down there to take it out. I could use some help"

"Okay" Doyle sighed, "But we'll be done by 7, right?"

"Children are dying" Angel said, in disbelief "And you're worried about being done on time?"

"No, sorry" Doyle said standing up "You ready to go?"

"Aren't we going to call Cordy first?"

"No" Doyle decided. If Cordy came, it would take longer for them to finish because she'd be worrying about her hair, clothes and makeup the whole time. It would be better to just let her get ready and hope to be back in time for the party. If he wasn't he's just blame Angel. "She's got some party thing tonight anyway; she'll have a fit if you interrupt her getting ready process."

"Yeah, okay" Angel said, standing to leave.

"Wait" Doyle said, remembering his Christmas present "Here" he passed him the sword he'd bought him "Thought it might come in handy"

"Oh thanks" Angel said, looking embarrassed "I left yours at home"

"You didn't buy me anything did you" Doyle laughed, walking out

"Of course I did" Angel said "I bought you a …" he paused, thinking hard. Doyle raised his eyebrows "Fine, I didn't buy you anything. Sorry, I just didn't expect anything from you"

"It's fine" Doyle said, getting into Angel's car

"So, what did you get Cordy?"

"Nothing" he replied quickly

"Come on, I won't tell her" Angel pressed

"Nothing!"

"You really expect me to believe you bought me something and not her?" Angel laughed "Come on Doyle, you're crazy about her, you wouldn't pass up an opportunity to give her something"

"I bought her a necklace" He admitted

"Good, she'll like that"

"You think?"

"Definitely"

"Good" Doyle said, feeling a little relieved. Maybe he would give her the present after all then.

**A/N Please R&R! You know you want to review!**


	4. Conversations

Chapter 4

**A/N I didn't get _any _reviews at all for the last chapter, so unless I get at least one review for this one, I'll take the hint and leave this story for good. It's you're choice people lol.**

A few hours later, a very exhausted Doyle and Angel got into Angel's car. Angel had a cut along his arm and Doyle's ribs were aching, but there was no lasting damage, to them anyway. They had killed the demon and freed the children and Doyle had an hour to get ready for Cordelia. Everything was going to be fine.

"So…" Angel began "Want to go out for a drink tonight to celebrate?"

"Nah thanks Angel, man, I'm a bit tired."

"Come on Doyle, it's New Year's Eve. We'll call Cordelia and we'll go have fun for once. You're the one that always says that we don't get out enough."

"Cordelia's busy tonight"

"Doing what?"

"She has some actor party thing,"

"She'll probably come with us anyway. I know she seems like she cares more about her career than she does about us, but she doesn't. She'd rather spend time with us than a group of people that look down on her any day." Angel said, reaching for his cell phone

"Really Angel, I'm too tired" Doyle said, taking the phone off him, "Let's just leave it, alright?"

"Since when do you turn down the chance to go out with Cordelia?" Angel asked him, sounding amazed. "Are you in some sort of trouble again?" Doyle opened his mouth to say he wasn't but then realized that this was probably the perfect chance to get out of spending the night with Angel.

"Actually, yes, I am" he lied.

"Right, where is this guy and I'll sort it"

"His name is John." Doyle lied "John Smith" Angel raised an eyebrow

"You're in trouble with a demon… called John Smith? You really expect me to believe that?"

"Ahhh… yes?"

"What's really going on Doyle?"

"Before you came over, Cordelia rang and asked me to come with her to her actor party, but that was probably only because she didn't think you were back from Sunnydale yet or she would have asked you instead, so I didn't want her to know you were back, so I can go with her"

"Cordelia's knows I'm back, I went to check with her before dawn to see if we had any cases on"

"So she asked me to go with her, over you?" Doyle said in disbelief "That can't be right." Angel just shrugged, not mentioning the fact that he had been there when Cordy had been asked to the party and he'd suggested bringing Doyle. She hadn't taken much persuasion though. Angel knew Cordy had wanted Doyle to take her deep down, but he also knew that to protect her image, she couldn't have asked Doyle before asking himself. Doyle was looking extremely happy, more so than Angel had seen him look in a long time, if not ever.


	5. What to wear?

**Thank you all for your reviews in the previous chapters. Please all review again on this one**

Chapter 5

"So what should I wear?" Doyle asked Angel, the panic slowly returning

"Just wear what you usually do"

"She said not to!"

"She'll care more if you stand her up because you couldn't find anything to wear"

"I'm not going to stand her up!"

"Then I'd choose what to wear quickly, because you have…" Angel checked his watch "15 minutes to get to her apartment "

"What! No that can't be right. I have an hour" he said showing him his watch.

"It's stopped" Angel said. Doyle swore under his breath and lifted the first clean thing he could find out of his wardrobe and hurried into his bedroom to change into it. 30 seconds later, he emerged again, dressed in a yellow shirt with jeans and his brown jacket.

"How do I look?" he aked nervously

"Honestly?" Angel said, trying not to laugh at the bright yellow shirt

"Is it that bad?" Doyle sighed

"No... it's just...the shirts a little... much" Angel said

"It'll have to do. I'm going to be late. Can I have your car keys?"

"No." Angel said quickly

"Please mate..."

"Remember what happened the last time you drove my car? You tried to knock down that gate and nearly destroyed the engine. Why would I ever give you my car again?"

"Because the only reason I hit the gates was I was trying to save you..." Doyle said hopefully

"Come on" Angel sighed, "I'll drive you"

"Thanks mate" Doyle said gratefully, following him out the door


	6. What if?

Chapter 6

"So what time do you want me to pick you up?" Angel asked, smirking slightly at the sight of Doyle trying to get his hair to sit right

"I don't know, I'll phone a cab or something" Doyle answered, still worried about the state of his hair.

"You're hairs fine" Angel said

"Really?" Doyle said hopefully, adjusting the wing mirror for a better look

"Yeah, it's the shirt I'd be worried about."

"Great, just great" Doyle muttered, wondering what Cordelia's reaction would be if that was Angel's.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Angel finally pulled up outside Cordelia's apartment after what seemed to be the longest ten minutes of Doyle's life. He looked at his watch, before remembering it had stopped. He had kept it on out of habit and decided to let it remain on his wrist for now anyway. He glanced at the dashboard and saw he was still a few minutes early. He swallowed, his mouth feeling suddenly dry.

"I don't think I can do this" he said. Angel laughed, before seeing the look of panic on his face. "What if she hates the necklace?"

"She's going to love it" Angel assured him.

"What about the shirt? She's going to hate that. And what if she didn't really want me! What if she wants you to come instead? What if I go in and she just goes off with some other guy? What would I do then?"

"Doyle! It's going to be fine, okay? And she's not going to ditch you. She wants you there. She wouldn't have asked you otherwise."

"Okay" Doyle sighed, taking a deep breath and letting it out again, "Okay. It's going to be okay. Right?"

"Right." Angel agreed, but secretly wondering what was going to happen when Cordelia saw his shirt. He watched Doyle take another deep breath before getting out of the car and walking determinedly towards the door. He saw him pause, before going inside towards the stairs that would lead him to Cordy's apartment. Then he noticed the long, blue box lying on the passenger seat. He opened it and saw the necklace that Doyle had been planning to give to Cordy nestled in it. He grabbed it quickly and jumped out of his car, racing towards the stairs, hoping to catch Doyle before he met Cordy. However he reached Cordy's floor and saw Cordy already talking to Doyle and that Doyle was blushing slightly. He was convinced they were talking about the shirt. As he neared them, his sharp ears picked up parts of the conversation,

"Well I was out saving the world an' all Cordelia, I didn't think you'd be that bothered by the shirt." He heard Doyle say. Angel grinned in spite of Doyle's nervousness. He slowed his pace from a sprint to a brisk walk and called out,

"Doyle! You left this behind" He threw the necklace box at him. Doyle fumbled with it and nearly dropped it. Angel stopped beside them

"Hi Angel" Cordelia said, sounding surprised, "What are you doing here?"

"I was just giving Doyle something he left behind. I've got to go now anyway. Evil to fight"

"Can't you stay for a while?" Cordelia asked him. Angel turned and saw the pleading look on Doyle's face.

"I can't." He lied, "there's a demon I need to deal with"

"Oh. Okay" Cordelia said, "I guess I'll see you at work tomorrow" Angel just nodded and smiled when he saw Doyle's grateful grin. He walked to the end of corridor and turned around to see Doyle place a hesitant hand on Cordelia's shoulder and lead her inside to the New Years party. Angel smiled again. He had a feeling that everything would go alright for Doyle tonight.


	7. Necklace

Chapter 7

"Well this is going well" Doyle muttered to himself as he stood alone beside the drinks table. Cordelia had told him she would be right back at least five minutes ago then had disappeared into the crowd, leaving him standing alone. He had known this would happen, but like a lovesick puppy, he'd come anyway. He looked at his stopped watch again, vaguely wondering why he just didn't get rid of it. He sighed and decided that if Cordelia didn't reappear within ten seconds, he would just leave. He got to forty two, then decided enough was enough. He began walking towards the door, when he heard someone calling his name,

"Doyle!" Cordelia called, coming up behind him "Where were you going?"

"I was looking for you" he lied, "I was beginning to think you'd forgotten me"

"Course not" Cordelia said with a dazzling smile, "I bought you this" she handed him a bottle of single malt scotch.

"I…I didn't think you would have bought me anything" Doyle said, completely surprised

"Of course I would. I gave Angel his present just before I called you"

"Angel was there when you called me?"

"Yeah, it was his idea for us all to go together, until he found out that he had to fight that demon tonight" Cordelia said, not mentioning the fact that she was secretly glad when she heard Angel couldn't go. She did like Angel, of course she did, but it was nice to have some time to spend just with her human friends. Especially Doyle. She was hoping he would be able to work up the courage to kiss her tonight, because, she justified, all her actress friends would have someone to kiss and she couldn't abandon Doyle to look for anyone else. Plus Doyle liked her, a lot. It just stood to reason that he should be the one that she brought in the New Year with, and if that kiss lead to something else, like a relationship, that was all the better. She hadn't had a proper relationship since Xander (because Wesley _so _didn't count) and that was way too long. Doyle could be good for her, but now, he was looking slightly down. He reached into his pocket and brought out the box that Angel had thrown at him earlier,

"This is for you. I know it's not much, but…" he trailed off. Cordelia opened the box and stared at the necklace inside. It was certainly nothing compared to what her parents would have bought her, but she knew that it was more than Doyle could afford and for that reason, she decided that this was the best thing anyone had ever bought her. She looked up and Doyle and saw him watching her anxiously.

"So do you like it?" he asked nervously

"I love it" she beamed. She almost laughed when she saw Doyle visibly relax but decided it would probably hurt his feelings, so stopped herself.

"Can you help me put it on?" she asked him, smiling encouragingly at him.

"Course" he said, smiling back. He reached out, and too it off her. She brushed her hair out of the way and almost gasped when she felt how cold Doyle's hands were against her neck. He was almost as cold as Angel usually was. Doyle, feeling her flinch, drew away immediately

"You okay?" he asked, concern on his face

"Yeah. It's just, you're so cold."

"Am I?" he asked, "I never noticed before." Cordelia laughed and took his hands in hers, trying to warm him up. After a few minutes, Cordelia became aware that a director was looking over her and she dropped Doyle's hands quickly. Doyle took the necklace off her again and gently fastened it around her neck, letting his hands remain on her skin for a few seconds longer than what was necessary. Cordelia glanced at him and he looked at the ground, clearly embarrassed.

"Come on, let's get something to eat" she said, leading him towards the buffet, not mentioning that the feeling of his now warm hands on her neck had been a much more enjoyable experience than she'd let on.


	8. The Director

**Thanks to fugaziclash and PadfootObsessed329 for reviewing! I really apreciate them and would be glad if you continued to review this chapter :D**

Chapter 8

As they walked to the food table, Cordelia got the feeling that someone was watching her. She turned her head slightly and saw that the director that had beenlooking ather earlier was again staring at her. She took this to be a good sign and positioned Doyle in front of her so that he wouldn't block her out of the director's view. She didn't know much about the director, in fact, she didn't even know his name. It's just her friend, Christine had pointed him out, and said she would be working with him on an advert a few weeks ago. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen Christine since to ask about it. She must have gone back to her family's house to spend the holiday season with them. As they reached the table, Cordelia took out her compact to fix her makeup and was delighted to see that the director was still watching her. Maybe he wanted her for another ad. Maybe he wanted her to take Christine's place. That girl had never been reliable. She put her compact in her bag again and reached for a plate,

"So is he still watching me?" Cordelia asked Doyle

"Who?" he asked, sounding confused

"The guy behind me. He has black hair and he's wearing a suit"

"I see him. Yeah he's watching you. Want me to get rid of him?"

"No!" she almost shouted.

"Okay" Doyle said, looking hurt, and a little jealous

"He's a director" she explained

"Oh" he said, the hurt fading, but the jealousy remaining.

"I'll be back in a second" she said, going to chat with the director, "And don't go anywhere this time"

"I won't" he promised. He watched her leave again, for the second time that evening, not even trying to disguise his jealousy anymore. He knew their conversation would probably just be about work, but it didn't help his self esteem that the person Cordelia had abandoned him for was exceptionally handsome. The type of guy Cordelia would want to date. He saw the man put his hand on Cordelia's arm.

Cordelia grinned at the gorgeous director, as he laid a hand on her arm, but feeling slightly guilty, because she knew Doyle was watching, she suggested,

"Why don't we go over there to chat" gesturing towards the drinks table. He simply nodded and walked towards the drinks table. However, he didn't stop when he reached it; he instead walked into the bedroom behind the table, apparently thinking she was suggesting that. Cordelia followed him in, knowing he probably just wanted to talk, but still not feeling very comfortable going into a bedroom with someone she'd barely spoken to. The uneasiness got worse as he closed the door behind them.

"So" Cordelia began, trying to make the worry subside, "You were saying about an audition?"

"Yeah, you'd be perfect for the part" he said, circling her, looking her up and down, "You have the right eyes, the right hair and you've definitely got the right personality"

"Thanks" she said, happy with the compliments. He stopped in front of her and leaned in to kiss her. She pulled back before his lips touched hers, feeling more uncomfortable than ever.

"I'm sorry; it's not that you're not good looking. You're really, really good looking, but I came with this guy, and there might be something between us. So I'm sorry, this can't happen." She said. The director nodded, looking disappointed but he said,

"It's okay" and he spun her around sharply, holding her tightly against him. Cordelia gasped as she felt elongated teeth brushing at her neck and she wondered how she could be so stupid. So she did the only thing she could think to do in that situation. She opened her mouth, and screamed.

**A/N: So what did you all think? Like it? Hate it? Tell me in your reviews! and I'm alsoslightly unsure what to do next? Should Cordelia manage to save herself? Should Doyle rush in to the rescue? Should the vampire get away? Or something completly different? Help me with your sugesstions!**


	9. Doyle to the rescue

**A/N: Thanks so much to all my reviewers- PadfootObsessed329; Celebwen Telcontar; Vikki; Gothwiccan87 and BlueEyedBrigadier. Thanks for all your suggestions too, especially BlueEyedBrigadier. I did like the demon suggestion, but I decided that I didn't want them having to deal with those sorts of issues tonight. I tried to incorporate some of all of your suggestions into it. **

Chapter 9

Doyle frowned as he saw Cordelia follow the handsome director into the bedroom. Something definitely wasn't right here. He was about to follow them in to see what was going on when a woman in a sparkling pink dress approached him.

"Are you here alone?" she asked,

"No." he said, but then he regretted it immediately. _I might as well be_ he thought_ if Cordelia keeps leaving me._

"Oh okay" the woman said, beginning to move away

"Well actually, the person I'm with seems to have disappeared" he said, smiling at her as charmingly as he could manage, "Maybe you could keep me company until she gets back." He'd decided he was sick of waiting alone. Maybe it was Cordelia's turn to be the jealous one. The woman smiled back and said

"Would you…" but she was cut off by a shrill scream from the bedroom. The very bedroom Cordelia had disappeared into. Doyle felt his blood run cold and he abandoned the woman immediately, hoping he wasn't too late to save Cordelia from whatever was behind that door. He wasn't the only one that had started to move towards the bedroom. Half of the party seemed to want to save the girl, whilst the other half were hanging back, guilty that they couldn't do anything to help, but not feeling the need to risk their lives for a stranger.

Doyle pushed his way through the crowd, struggling to get to the front. If this was a human attacker, he would be glad of the support, but if it wasn't, then he knew that he was the only one qualified to help. And even he wasn't sure if he could handle whatever this was on his own. For the first time, he regretted sending Angel away. He eventually reached the front of the crowd and opened the door.

He saw Cordelia struggling with a vampire and immediately slammed the door shut behind him and locking it. He didn't need any civilians involved in a vampire situation. It should be easy enough anyway, he reasoned. Just stake it and then move on. Then, to his horror he realised he hadn't brought a stake with him. Cordelia spotted him and shouted

"Doyle! I could use a little help here!"

"Oh sorry" Doyle said, and tackled the vampire to the floor, but unfortunately, the vampire was too strong for him and rolled over so that Doyle was beneath him, and he began to strangle the half demon

"Cordelia" Doyle managed to gasp, "Stake" Cordelia was already searching her handbag for the stake that she kept handy at all times, found it and thrust it into the vampires back. It howled in pain however, it didn't turn to dust and she realised that in her haste to kill it, she'd missed its heart. Doyle, taking advantage of its pain, kicked it off him and scrambled to his feet, but the vampire, realising it was fighting people who knew what they were doing, made a hasty escape through a nearby window. Doyle immediately collapsed against the wall, breathing hard

"Are you okay?" he asked her, looking at her with concern. Cordelia suddenly had a strong feeling of déjà vu, thinking back to the time they were attacked in front of the office.

"Yeah, thanks to you" she said, smiling warmly at him. Doyle looked down at the floor, embarrassed

"It was nothing" he said

"It wasn't nothing! Who needs Angel? We could have our own detective company. We could call it Cordelia Investigations!"

"I just don't think Cordelia Investigations has the same ring as Angel Investigations, princess" he laughed, "Now Doyle Investigations, that's a name!" They were interrupted by a heavy thump on the door and several men, running through.

"What happened?" One asked

"I was attacked." Cordelia told him, "My friend saved me. He got out through that window" she pointed. One man crossed the room and looked out.

"That's a 4 storey drop! How would he survive that?"

"I don't know" Cordelia said, standing up, and pulling Doyle up with her, "All I know is that he saved me, while the rest of you hid outside. I just want to forget that this happened."

Now that there was nobody to save, the crowds by the door gradually thinned until Doyle and Cordelia were left in the room alone.

"Thank you for saving me Doyle" Cordelia said sincerely and kissed him on the cheek before leaving the room. Doyle raised a hand to the place she had kissed him, grinned and followed her quickly

**A/N: Well this is probably the penultimate chapter, unless I can find another chapters worth of stuff, so please all review so I can write the last chapter on a high note :D**


	10. Jealousy

**A/N: Hey everyone. Once again, thank you to all my wonderful reviewers i.e. Vikki, PadfootObsessed329 and fugaziclash. My apologies fugaziclash, i will not be killing off Angel and renaming it Doyle investigations :P**

**As promised, this is the FINAL chapter. (I know, sad isn't it ;) ) but as I wanted to make this as good as I could possibly make it, I ended up writing so much for the this last chapter that its too much to read so I split it into 3 chapters and i'll be uploading them all at once. **

**BTW, I accidently ended up making everyone out of character, but i hope you can forgive me lol. its just the excitement I have at my first finnished full length fic. **

**sorry about the spellling my faithul spellchecker's gone awol**

Chapter 10

Cordelia smiled at Doyle as he followed her out of the room with an unbelievably happy grin on his face. A woman with blonde hair in a sparkling pink dress forced her way thorough the crowd to where Doyle and Cordelia were standing. Cordelia frowned, thinking that the woman must know her, because, who at this party would know Doyle? However, to her immense astonishment, the woman stopped by Doyle's side and laid her hand on her arm,

"There you are, I was so worried about you. You just disappeared when that woman screamed. I thought something terrible must have happened to you when you didn't come back" said the woman

"No, I'm fine" Doyle said, "All in a day's work and all"

"I can imagine" the woman said, running her hand up Doyle's arm. Cordelia raised her eyebrows. She didn't have a clue who this woman was, but she hated her already. She was just throwing herself at Doyle. Luckily, Doyle liked Cordelia too much to go near that desperate cow… right? Just to be sure, Cordelia gave a short cough to remind both Doyle and the mysterious woman that she was still there,

"So Doyle, are you going to introduce me to your… friend?" Cordelia asked, looking the woman up and down with disgust. Her high heels and sparkling dress all screamed 'I try to hard' to Cordelia.

"Sure" Doyle said, trying to disguise his amusement at Cordelia's obvious jealousy, "This is Cordelia Chase, a business associate. Cordelia this is…" he trailed off, realising he didn't know her name yet.

"Amanda" the woman filled in for him

"Cordelia, this is Amanda" Doyle finished, 'We met while you were talking to that 'director'"

"Of course" Cordelia said, forcing a smile, secretly hoping Amanda would turn out to be a vampire too. The two women looked at each other coldly, each sending the other signals to get lost so they could spend time with the Irish man. Doyle seemed to be oblivious to these looks.

"Anyone want anything to drink?" he asked

"No thank you" Amanda said, smiling sweetly at him

"I'll have an iced water please Doyle" Cordelia said, smiling at him warmly. Doyle nodded and went to the drinks table, several metres away, where he knew he could hear the conversation with his enhanced demon senses. He heard Cordelia whisper something to Amanda and the woman reply sharply

"I don't care if you came with him, he wants to spend time with me"

"Of course he doesn't" Cordelia said, her voice rising slightly, "He's just too polite to tell you to go away"

"And why would he want me to? So he can spend time with you? I don't think so. He was practically throwing himself at me earlier." Amanda replied, her voice also rising.

"Firstly, I have known Doyle a lot longer than you, and I have never seen him throw himself at anyone." Cordelia began, but Amanda interrupted her

"Why would he? No offence, but you're nothing special to look at and your personality leaves much to be desired." Doyle frowned, he didn't like the way that the blonde was talking to Cordelia, so he made a hasty return, handing Cordelia her water and standing closer to her this time. Cordelia accepted the water without saying anything. She looked down at the ground when Amanda moved closer to Doyle again, her hand moving to his arm again. This time Doyle shrugged her off gently, staring at Cordelia as he did so. This action did not go unnoticed by either woman. Cordelia wondered if Doyle was becoming colder towards the other woman on her account, maybe to make her feel better. She knew what the other woman had said about her personality was true and wondered if Doyle did think the same. She sighed, knowing he probably did. She put down her drink on a nearby table and said,

"Well I'll just leave you to it" and turned to walk off

"Cordelia, wait!" Doyle said, putting his arm gently on her shoulder to stop her going

"Yeah?" she asked with baited breath

"I… I'll see you at work tomorrow then" he said, losing his courage at the last second.

"Right" Cordelia said, feeling disappointed. She moved away from him and nearer to a group of young, wannabe actresses, just like herself and started chatting to them, pretending to be much happier than she felt.

**A/N: On to the next chapter! BTW faithful reviewers, I don't expect you all to review 3 times, the 3 chapters thing is purely to make it easier to read, but I would be grateful if you could all press the big blue button at one point during your reading of this last part.**


	11. Count down

**Chapter 10- continued, or you may call it chapter 11 if you wish :D. We have a bit more romance in this chapter!**

**Oh and BTW i did mean to write this final chapter earlier, but I had a bad case of writer's block, so sorry for the delay :D. T'was fugaziclash's review onn chapter 9 that reminded me to get a move on a finish this so thanks lol.**

"So Cordelia" one called Heather said, "I heard that you got attacked in the bedroom, are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine." Cordelia said distractedly

"When you screamed, half the male population rushed to that door to save you. That cute Irish boy you came with seemed particularly worried" she continued

"Did he? You wouldn't think so from the way he's flirting with her over there" Cordelia said, nodding at Doyle and the blonde who were huddled in a corner.

"Are you kidding?" Heather laughed, "He looks desperate to get away. He keeps looking over at you when you're not looking"

"Does he?" Cordelia asked, suddenly feeling self conscious, adjusting her hair slightly, and turning away from Doyle.

"He's looking now" her friend told her, and sure enough she turned around just in time to see Doyle's head jerk downwards. She smiled to herself. Maybe Doyle did still like her. She saw him tentatively look up again and she smiled at him. Their eyes met and they held each others gaze for a long time until a loud noise at the window made both of them turn.

Cordelia walked to the window and looked out in time to see a fork of lightning hit the ground nearby and another roll of thunder sounded half a second later. It was going to be one hell of a storm. The clouds burst open and rain started to pound against the window and the ground outside. Cordelia pitied the people who had to be outside tonight. She jumped as she felt a hand fall hesitantly onto her waist and Doyle's voice sounded softly in her ear,

"I always liked storms. The remind me of Ireland." She smiled, relieved that he had come back to her, unsure of what she would have done if he hadn't. However, she couldn't resist knowing what had happened to Amanda, even if it meant spoiling the moment between them.

"Doyle…" she began, turning slowly to face him

"Yes princess?" he answered

"What…" she started to say but got cut off by another, much louder crack of thunder and the apartment got plunged into darkness around them. Several people near them flinched slightly, or had a sharp intake of breath. One terrified woman even screamed. Cordelia felt Doyle's hand tighten around her waist. Cordelia took a small step closer to him too.

"It's just the thunder" she said, wondering if he was afraid

"Probably" he admitted, "Or maybe it was something else. A vampire for instance, wanting the place in darkness so that it can…" just then the lights flickered back on "Or maybe it was just the thunder" he finished, looking sheepish. He suddenly became aware of the proximity of their bodies, wondering if it bothered her, and took a quick step backwards, letting the hand fall from her waist. She still looked rather down from earlier, so Doyle said quietly,

"What Amanda said about you, it's not true"

"What did she say about me?" Cordelia said, sounding annoyed.

"That you weren't much to look at and that your personality had much to be desired" Doyle reminded her

"How did you hear that?" she asked, "You were way over at the drinks table."

"I have good hearing" he brushed the question off, not wanting to go into the whole half demon thing now, "Anyway, how I heard doesn't matter, what matters is that you're beautiful and you have a wonderful personality"

"We both know that's a lie" Cordelia said, looking down

"No, it's not. You're brave and you're loyal and you're not at all prejudiced, and you're clever and funny and…"

"That's enough Doyle" Cordelia cut him off with a grateful smile, "Thank you"

"No problem" the half demon replied, hearing people begin the count down to midnight behind him. Soon nearly everyone in the room took up the count

"8…7…" Cordelia began to start chanting too, in a lower voice.

"6…." Cordelia stepped closer to him, so their bodies were inches apart

"5…" Cordelia's hands moved up and slipped around Doyle's neck, pulling him even closer

"4…." Doyle slid his arms nervously around Cordelia's waist

"3….2…1…"their faces moved closer, and Doyle could feel Cordelia trembling slightly. He swallowed nervously, even now unsure if Cordelia really did want them to kiss.

"Happy New Year Doyle" Cordelia whispered

"Happy New Year" he replied, feeling his mouth go dry. They'd stayed, standing perfectly still, staring at each other for a few seconds.

"Doyle" Cordelia said

"Yeah?" Doyle asked, thinking she was going to tell him to let go of her.

"Kiss me." Slowly, Doyle lowered his head to Cordelia's a brushed his lips across hers gently. His hands slid off her waist and rose to her hair, pulling her closer to him. After a few seconds he pulled back and gazed at her, taking in how beautiful she looked. Cordelia smiled and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Amanda's glaring at us" she whispered in his ear. He laughed, not caring what Amanda, or anyone else for that matter thought tonight. Tonight was their night. He couldn't believe how lucky he was. This had started out just a normal day, but it had ended with him and Cordelia kissing. He couldn't believe she hadn't rejected him. He couldn't believe that Cordelia actually wanted him. Even though he had no money and she thought he had the world's worst fashion sense. But…. would she still want him after she knew about his demon heritage?

**A/N: Once again, it doesnt have to be this chapter, just please review one of these final 3! Thanks :D**


	12. The end

**A/N: So This is it. the final part of the last chapter. (Bet you thought you'd never get there, didn't you :P) BTW I apologise in advance for the rubbish ending, I just couldn't think of anything else lol.**

As Cordelia leaned up to kiss him again, he moved back quickly

"What's wrong?" she asked

"Nothing… it's just, there's something you should know"

"What?"

"Not here." He said, pulling her into the bedroom, the very same bedroom Cordelia had been attacked in earlier. Cordelia realised how different it was to be in there with Doyle. Even before the man had revealed himself to be a vampire, she had felt on edge. She didn't with Doyle. She knew with him, she was 100 safe. Well... maybe not 100 if something attacked them, but still, she knew Doyle would protect her forever. Doyle shut the door behind him quickly, and leant against it.

"When we met, there was something I didn't tell you about myself"

"What was it?" she asked, wondering what it was. Doyle hesitated, unsure of how he could break this to her. Unfortunately, he sneezed and his demon face came to the surface. Cordelia's eyes nearly fell out of her head and although she was shocked, she stopped herself from screaming. Doyle shook off his demon face and waited for her reaction

"You're a demon!" she said eventually

"Half demon" he corrected, "On my father's side. Apart from that, I'm completely human." There was another awkward silence.

"Look, I understand if..." Doyle began

"If what? If I decided to dump you just because of your past? Do you really think I'm that shallow? My boss is a vampire! I just need a little time to adjust to finding out my boyfriend is a demon"

"Half demon" he corrected again, but feeling a lot better now that Cordelia had referred to him as her boyfriend.

"Half demon, right. So do you have any special powers?" she asked, determined to look on the bright side of this

"I'm a bit stronger, and I have enhanced senses, but it usually only works better if I have my Bracken Demon face out."

"Okay" Cordelia crossed the room, and raised her hand to his cheek, "Change"

"What?"

"Show me your other face again. I didn't really see it before"

"No." he refused

"Does it hurt?"

"No"

"Then why won't you show me it?"

"I don't like it" he whispered, knowing how feeble his excuse sounded,

"Please Doyle. For me?" Doyle sighed and changed into his demon face effortlessly. Cordelia didn't say anything, but gently trailed her hand over his now green skin and over the sharp looking spikes that protruded from it. His eyes slipped closed, waiting for her to tell him he could change back. He felt her hand withdraw from his face and he opened his eyes, his gaze meeting hers. Cordelia could see the vulnerability in his eyes and it made her like him even more. This was a man that she could trust to never betray her like a certain Xander Harris had. She leant forward and they kissed for the second time and when they parted she heard him give a barely audible sigh of relief.

"Happy New Year Doyle" She said again. He smiled. If the year continued the way it had started, he was in for a very happy new year.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**A/N: And it's finished. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Doyle/Cordy forever ;) **

**I may be persuaded to do a short epilogue if I can get a few ideas and enough people would like me to.**

**Once again, thanks for all your reviews and don't forget to press the blue button for (probably) the last time on this fic. **

**Bye :D**


End file.
